5TH LEAD

Black Sea Tigers sink SLN Dvora attack craft in the seas off Delft island

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 December 2007, 08:07 GMT]
At least ten Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) sailors were killed, including a commanding officer, when a SLN vessel was sunk by Sea Tigers, the Liberation Tigers naval wing Wednesday at 12:45 p.m. in the seas off Delft (Neduntheevu) island in Jaffna, informed sources in Colombo said. Meanwhile, according to LTTE claims, a Dvora Fast Attack (FAC) craft was sunk and two more Dvora FACs sustained damage and retreated to Kaankeasanthu'rai (KKS) port, one of them damaged beyond repair. The clash that began at 11:00 a.m. lasted till 1:50 p.m. Four Black Sea Tigers were killed in action, according to LTTE Military Spokesman Irasiah Ilanthirayan.

The second Dvora FAC was damaged beyond repair at 1:00 p.m. and the third Dvora was damaged around 1:50 p.m., the LTTE said.

Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) MI-24 Helicopter gunships were giving fire support to Six Dvora FACs that were engaged in the confrontation.

Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan military officials in Colombo confirmed that the SLN was enaged in a sea battle with a Sea Tiger flotilla of attack crafts in the seas south of Neduntheevu. According to the Sri Lankan military, there were 16 Sea Tiger vessels in the Tiger flotilla.

Delft is the farthest and biggest of the inhabited islands off the Jaffna peninsula.